The city of Tula is located on the Upa River, 193 kilometers from Moscow.
Tula has always played the role of an outpost on the outskirts of the capital.
The history of this city goes back to ancient times. In the Nikon chronicle under 1146, the city of Tula is mentioned among other cities.
Today the hero-city of Tula is a major industrial center.
Tula is famous not only for handicrafts, samovars, Lefty and the Arms Factory.
There are many churches in the city - there are more than thirty Orthodox churches alone. There are two Orthodox monasteries and one Old Believer church.
But among them, the Annunciation Church stands out for its beauty and antiquity. In Tula, the Church of the Annunciation enjoys special love and attention as a historical monument of Russian architecture.
It is worth mentioning separately.
Annunciation Church
At first it was a wooden church with a bell tower on four pillars. There is a mention of it in the Scribe Book and it dates back to 1625.
The stone temple was built later, in 1692, as evidenced by the inscription on the porch wall.
The wooden church fell into disrepair by the end of the 17th century, and then a stone five-domed Temple was built in 1692 with the money of the priest Theodosius. Theodosius is also known for the fact that he built the Trinity Monastery in Astrakhan.
In the 40s (according to other sources in the 50s), a fire broke out in the city due to a severe drought. The fire was approaching the temple.
If the stories are to be believed, the parishioners went out towards the fire with the Icon of the Iberian Mother of God. The wind died down immediately, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
A school was opened at the church in 1891.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 226 people in the parish.
After the revolution, parishes began to close. Temple buildings were either demolished or given away for household needs.
Restoration of the temple
The Church of the Annunciation was closed in 1932. It, too, could have been demolished if the question of its historical value had not arisen.
In 1960, the state took under the protection of the temple building as a monument of architecture of the seventeenth century.
In the 80s, it was decided to begin work on the restoration of the building, and by decision of the Tula authorities, the church was transferred to the local history museum.
The building at that time was in a deplorable state. When the church was closed in 1932, warehouses were placed in it. Over time, everything began to fall into decay: plaster crumbled, cracks crawled along the foundation.
When repair and restoration work began, it turned out that the steel strands that held the building together had been dismantled. Without them, the walls of the building gradually fell apart, and the ceiling sagged - the building slowlycollapsed.
Other important elements have also been removed.
In the autumn of 1990, scaffolding was erected to restore the domes, repairs were carried out, heating was supplied and electricity was installed.
In 1995 the throne was consecrated and a baptismal font was built. The altar iconostasis, made in the old style, has been restored.
Revived Temple
On February 22, 1990, the city executive committee ordered the Annunciation Church to be given to believers. Tula celebrated a significant event: the opening of the first Orthodox church after the repressions of the 1930s.
Today the Church of the Annunciation pleases the eye. There are stained-glass windows on the windows, icons of saints in carved vestibules hang on the walls. To the right of the Royal Doors of the altar is the Temple icon of the Annunciation on the altar iconostasis.
The Iberian icon has returned to the temple and, beautifully decorated, is in the right aisle.
How good it is that the Church of the Annunciation in Tula has been restored to its original form! Its appearance - both outside and inside - conveys the spirit of Russian antiquity of the 17th century.
How to find the Church of the Annunciation in Tula?
The temple is located in the center of the city of Tula, not far from the Kremlin. Nearby is Holy Cross Square.
From the Moscow railway station you can take the trolley bus number 7. Get off at the stop "Krasnoarmeisky Prospekt" and walk 500 meters towards the Kremlin.
Address of the Church: Tula, st. Blagoveshchenskaya, 4
